Limited Time
by percico22501
Summary: Tessa Gray, ill with cancer, meets Jem Carstairs, who is also ill. Their time together is limited, and what will Jem do to make Tessa happy?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

Pain isn't something welcoming. It is something that engulfs your body, a thing where you can't really move. Pain is annoying, and everyone hates having to go through pain. Tessa Gray currently lay in her hospital room, unable to move. Her eyes rested on the ceiling, her breathing uneven. Pain was something she felt every day, though others know how she feels. Her lung cancer made it harder to breathe, and so she needed an oxygen tank to help her breathe. Tessa was too sick to leave the hospital; her lung cancer grew worse when she was thirteen. It was a miracle she still lived till her sixteenth birthday. She was also too sick to walk around herself, so she had to sit in a wheelchair when she got out of her room.

Now, her door opened, and she turned her head to see Dr Robert at the door. He smiled.  
"Hello there, Tessa. How are you going today?"  
"I'm going well, thanks." Replied Tessa, though it wasn't true. She was in pain and she was bored out of her mind. Dr Robert nodded.  
"That's glad to hear. I came here to tell you that someone else will be occupying this room with you since there are no rooms left for him. Is that alright with you?" Tessa nodded, and the gesture pained her. At least she could move. The doctor smiled.  
"He'll be here in a few- oh! James, this is Tessa. Tessa, this is James. He'll be your new… roommate, I guess," The boy, James, appeared behind Dr Roberts awkwardly. His silver hair glinted through the window, and his eyelashes and eyebrows matched his hair. He looked about Tessa's age, maybe a year older. He was pale, but not as pale as Tessa. Dr Roberts left with a wave, leaving the two teenagers alone in the room. Tessa smiled encouragingly.

* * *

"You can call me Jem," said Jem, sitting on the bed that the nurses prepared. A little flare lit up inside Tessa, but she couldn't tell what it was. She smiled.  
"Well, Jem. What brings you here?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't help it; curiosity was her besetting sin. Jem lay on his bed, sprawled all over the mattress. He sighed.

* * *

"I'm sorry I asked," Jem looked over at Tessa and flashed a smile.  
"You're going to have to know, anyway. What about you?"  
"What about me?"  
"What brings you here?"  
Now it was Tessa's turn to sigh. She smiled at the ceiling, though the memory wasn't good. Hearing Jem get tortured… it made Tessa cry, but she made sure he didn't see.  
"I got lung cancer when I was five. Over the years it got worse and when I was thirteen, it was harder to breathe. My throat tightened, my lungs needed more oxygen. I collapsed; sure it was my time to go. I thought wrong. I woke the next day, in a lot of pain. The doctor told me I was too sick, that my time was limited. It was a miracle I lived till my sixteenth birthday. When I was fourteen, I got even sicker, so I have to use the wheelchair. I'm too sick to even leave the hospital!"  
"I'm sorry I asked," Tessa looked over at Jem quizzically.  
"Jem, you have nothing to apologise for." He smiled.

* * *

Tessa's head rested on the crook of Jem's neck, Jem rubbing her back as she groaned in pain. One minute they were talking, and the next, Tessa vomited blood all over herself. Jem helped her sit up as she continued to vomit all over herself. He already called the nurses, and they helped her clean up. Now, Tessa lay in Jem's arms as he said soothing words.  
"I'm sorry," she groaned weakly, her head bobbing in exhaustion.  
"Sleep, Tessa. You need it,"

* * *

Tessa smiled into her hot chocolate, squirming in her wheelchair until she found a comfortable position. Jem chuckled.  
"That is why you can never trust a duck," Tessa burst out laughing, gripping on the wheelchair to prevent falling.  
"Ducks… oh, wow!" she managed to say, laughs still escaping her lips. Jem smiled.  
"Will's weird like that,"  
"I have to meet him sometime!" For a moment, a shadow passed over Jem, but it vanished just as quickly as it had come. Tessa looked over in concern but he just smiled.

* * *

"Just make sure she's warm," Dr Robert instructed. "Pile blankets on her and make sure she wears a jumper. Make sure she wears a scarf,"  
"No problem, doctor," Jem nodded, doing as instructed. Tessa squirmed in her wheelchair as Jem put on her scarf.  
"It's stuffy in here," Tessa groaned.  
"It won't be stuffy outside. It's for your benefit, Tessa. You're lucky I'm letting you out with James," Tessa nodded, glad that Jem offered to take her outside. She hasn't been outside in a while. Jem waved a good bye and wheeled Tessa out of the hospital.

* * *

Tessa shivered the minute she got out. Only Jem groaned.  
"It's so hot!"  
"It isn't for me," Jem took of his jacket and placed it on Tessa, warming her. She hugged herself in her makeshift cocoon, smiling. She looked at her oxygen tank which lay by the side of her feet, a place the doctors made.  
"Thanks for taking me out,"  
"Don't worry about it. You need to see what has changed in London," Tessa nodded and Jem wheeled her through various streets.

* * *

"Wait, Jem, stop here!" Tessa cried, excitement filling her voice. Alarmed, Jem looked at her, only to see that she was grinning at the bookstore in front of them. He smiled, and wheeled her in, Tessa squealing in delight.  
"Look! They have _A Tale of Two Cities_! Oh, and _Vathek_! Oh, _A Wide, Wide, World_!"  
"Into classics?"  
"Yes! I love The Fault in Our Stars though! It is a moving book, and the author understands how I feel," Jem chuckled, and picked out the three books she mentioned. He walked up to the cashier, hearing Tessa's refusals but he ignored her. Paying for the books, he walked back to a fuming Tessa and handed her the books.  
"Where else do you want to go?"

* * *

"I _can't _believe you bought this!"  
"I'll buy more if you want,"  
"No! No, it's quite alright. That… It's fine, don't worry about it." Jem smiled, sitting down on the bench outside the bookstore. Tessa had tried to return the books, but Jem would not allow her to. Tessa looked at the books in her hands and allowed a smile.

"Thank you," she said at last as Jem took her to another place. The spring day was lovely, with flowers on bushes and the sun shining down on them. Houses lined the street but what intrigued Tessa was the scenery of it all. Jem turned a left and before them was a park. A park with green grass and a fountain, birds flying and chirping. Tessa stared in awe. She had never seen anything like it. Jem coughed suddenly and Tessa looked over in alarm, remembering what he said to her the night before. He smiled and waved away her question. Tessa still had her doubts.

* * *

"I've kicked my brother's ankle?"  
"Oh, come on!"  
"I don't know what other mean things I've done!" Jem laughed. Jem and Tessa had taken selfies in the park and it was time to go back to the hospital. Tessa looked at Jem in accusation.  
"What mean things have _you _done?"  
"Slapping Will in the face," he stated, as if it were the obvious thing in the world. Tessa huffed but smiled.  
"Thanks again for taking me out,"  
"Don't worry about it," Jem smiled.

* * *

They entered the hospital and the two teenagers headed to their room, Tessa taking off her blankets, jackets and scarf. She laid them on her lap, waiting for Jem to find their room. In only a minute, Jem burst through their doors and Jem packed her belongings away and took his jacket back. Tessa smiled once more before closing her eyes in exhaustion.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two  
"And that was how Will and I became friends,"  
"You and Will became friends by Will insulting you?"  
"It wasn't _really _an insult,"  
Tessa scoffed and kicked her legs that dangled in front of her bed. Jem sat up and looked at her. He smiled, and Tessa smiled back. Her heart raced in her chest and her stomach was full of butterflies.

"That reminds me! Did I ever tell you I play the violin?" Jem inquired. Tessa shook her head no. Leaning over on the other side of the bed, Jem brought out a violin case, which, Tessa assumed, contained a violin.  
"Can you play for me?"  
"Yeah, I'll play for you. But my music will be so good that it'll make you swoon," Jem winked, taking his violin out of its case.  
"Oh, really?" Tessa challenged, raising a brow. Jem gave a lopsided smile and positioned his violin under the crook of his neck, and laid his head on it. He placed his bow on the strings and began to play. The sound was high and sweet, the notes correct and perfect. Tessa stared in awe, the music filling her ears as if demanding to be heard, as if it chose Tessa as the chosen one. As beautiful as it was, it sounded depressing. It was slow, but at a pace. Brows furrowing in concentration, Jem furiously played, the pace quickening and the music was even higher, as if a scream, but it wasn't high pitched. It had a melody that held various emotions. With a fierce note, Jem stopped and opened his eyes slowly. Upon seeing Tessa, he rushed toward her, fretting.  
"Are you hurt?" he asked, worry etched in his voice. Tessa half-laughed, half-cried, and felt her face. She found it wet, and laughed.  
"No- no, I'm not hurt!"  
"Then my music was terrible," Jem said, a little defeated.  
"No, Jem. That wasn't why I cried! I cried because it was such a beautiful piece," Jem brightened and smiled a smile that Tessa found rare; it was bright and happy, joyful. It was the rarest smiles she had ever seen, and Tessa found herself quoting The Great Gatsby aloud. She blushed.  
"'Rarest smiles'? Why, dear Tessa, I feel loved,"  
Tessa glared.

* * *

(A/N: For weak stomachs, I suggest that you don't read this part. I, myself, felt sick writing this. I'll tell you when this part is over.)

Tessa's vision focused and unfocused. She was in the bathroom by the cubicle, vomiting blood. It wasn't unusual; if you're a very sick cancer patient, this'll happen. Gripping the toilet seat for support, Tessa heaved into the toilet, blood falling from her mouth in such a fast pace that Tessa couldn't stop vomiting. Her head felt light, and she fell onto the floor in a weak manner.

(A/N: You may continue here. I apologise for that part, and for writing that, I had lost my appetite to eat my very own dinner.)

The nurses marched in and helped her up, carrying her to the ICU, a floor down from her room. Blood dripped from Tessa's mouth, and she closed her eyes, crying at the pain she felt everywhere. She begged the nurses to make the pain stop, and they kept reassuring her. Tessa didn't believe them. She hated pain. She hated this. She hated her life. She hated how unfair this was, how she was just a side effect. Tessa had always thought that when people have cancer, or any type of illness, they were just experiments gone wrong. That's what I am, Tessa thought bitterly. I'm just a failed experiment.

* * *

Tessa woke in a lot of pain, and groaned from it. The pain came from her back, spreading all over to her neck to her chest. Too weak to make a move, she closed her eyes, hoping the pain would go away. Though she knew it wouldn't. It would never go away, and it would never stop coming. Not until her last breath anyway. She heard her door open, and she closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. It wasn't hard; she was already tired and she couldn't move. She heard a rustle, and someone sitting in a chair. Was someone here to visit her? No, it couldn't be. She had no family members left. The person in the chair sighed a sigh that Tessa found familiar.  
"Tessa," Jem breathed. He sounded as if he'd been crying, and she couldn't blame him. She thought it was her time to go. Tessa's heart raced in her chest. He's visiting me? She thought.  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,"  
What're you sorry for, Jem? Tessa wished she could voice her thoughts, but she couldn't. Very faintly, she heard Jem sniff and cry softly, as though she were already gone.  
Jem! I'm right here! I'm not gone, no, not yet! I'd never leave you!  
Darkness washed over her.

* * *

A/N: I apologise for that one particular scene in this chapter. I know in The Fault in Our Stars that Hazel didn't vomit _every day _but this fanfic is actually dedicated to my grandmother, whom I've never met. She's from my dad's side of the family and she had suffered from lung cancer, and my dad had helped her get through it but she didn't make it. I'll be angered if you think this is false, because I know it isn't. I've been to her grave and my dad had told me, but I knew he didn't like the subject. Apparently, whatever is happening to Tessa in here happened to my grandmother, so I just kind of... you know. Freaked. I shall continue it though!

Good morning/afternoon/night!


End file.
